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Achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the 17 Sustainable
Development
Goals (SDGs), is a commitment made by countries to tackle the complex challenges we face,
from ending poverty and hunger and responding to climate change to building
resilient communities, achieving inclusive growth and sustainably managing the Earth’s
natural resources.

"We have greater evidence on how forests are critical to livelihoods
of the world’s poorest, with a better understanding of the trade-offs
and more exact confirmation that healthy and productive forests are essential
to sustainable agriculture."
José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General

As governments determine how best to commit national efforts to achieve transformational
change,
The State of the World’s Forests 2018 (SOFO 2018) analyses the role that forests and trees –
and the people who use and manage them – can play in helping countries achieve their
objectives
and bring about a brighter future. SOFO 2018 shines a light on the profound interlinkages
that
exist between forests and many other goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda, enabling
policymakers
to strike the right balance in actions, investments and partnerships directed towards food
security,
poverty alleviation, ecological conservation and, ultimately, to find pathways to
sustainable development.

Forests and trees make vital contributions to both people and the planet,
bolstering livelihoods, providing clean air and water, conserving biodiversity
and responding to climate change.

Forests act as a source of food, medicine and fuel for more than a billion people. In
addition
to helping to respond to climate change and protect soils and water, forests hold more than
three-quarters of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, provide many products and services
that
contribute to socio-economic development and are particularly important for hundreds of
millions
of people in rural areas, including many of the world’s poorest.

An estimated 50 percent of the fruit we eat comes from trees.

The world’s population is projected to increase from around 7.6 billion today
to close to 10 billion people by 2050. The corresponding global demand for
food – estimated to grow by 50 percent during this period – is placing enormous
pressure on the way we use productive land, particularly in developing countries
where the overwhelming majority of the world’s 800 million poor and hungry people
are concentrated. Deforestation, chiefly caused by the conversion of forest land to
agriculture
and livestock areas, threatens not only the livelihoods of foresters, forest communities and
indigenous peoples, but also the variety of life on our planet. Land-use changes result in a
loss of valuable habitats, land degradation, soil erosion, a decrease in clean water
and the release of carbon into the atmosphere.
How to increase agricultural production and improve food security without
reducing forest area is one of the great challenges of our times.

Evidence is key to opening the forest pathways to sustainable
development.

While the importance of forests and trees to a healthy, prosperous planet is universally
recognized, the depth of those roots may be greater than imagined. Several indicators
under SDG15 focus on forests, specifically monitoring forest land and the share of forests
under sustainable management. The Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA), coordinated
by FAO, found that the world’s forest area decreased from 31.6 percent of the global
land area to 30.6 percent between 1990 and 2015, but that the pace of loss has slowed in
recent years.

Forest area as a proportion of total land area in 1990, 2010 and 2015

There is quantitative evidence to show that forests are being
managed more sustainably and that forests and trees contribute
to achieving SDGs related to the livelihoods and food security of
many rural poor, access to affordable energy, sustainable economic growth
and employment (in the formal sector), sustainable consumption and production,
and climate change mitigation, as well as sustainable forest management.

1) Calculated using compound interest formula.
2) Includes areas certified under FSC and PEFC certification schemes.
NOTE: The indicator is presented as a dashboard of traffic lights that indicate progress in
each
of the five sub-indicators, with green, yellow and red indicating the direction and rate of
change.
SOURCE: FAO, 2015a.

The livelihoods and food security of around 250 million rural poor depend on vibrant forests and trees.

The people left furthest behind are often located in areas in and
around forests.

The livelihoods and food security of many of the world’s rural poor depend on vibrant
forests and trees. Evidence shows that around 40 percent of the extreme rural poor
– around 250 million people – live in forest and savannah areas. Access to forest
products, goods and services are vital for the livelihoods and resilience of the poorest
households, acting as safety nets in difficult times. Some studies suggest that forests
and trees may provide around 20 percent of income for rural households in developing
countries, both through cash income and by meeting subsistence needs. Non-wood forest
products (NWFPs) provide food, income, and nutritional diversity for an estimated one
in five people around the world, notably women, children, landless farmers and others in
vulnerable situations.

Distribution of rural people living on less than USD 1.25 per day and residing in or around
tropical forests and savannahs

Africa

Latin America

Asia

Total Tropics

Forest population (millions)

284

85

451

820

Forest population living on under USD 1.25/day (millions)

159

8

84

251

Forest population living on under USD 1.25/day as percentage of
total rural population living on under USD 1.25/day

50%

82%

27%

40%

Water quality, essential to the health and life of both rural
and urban populations, is directly related to forest management.

Changes in land cover, use and management have grave implications on a nation’s water
supply.
While three-quarters of the globe’s accessible freshwater comes from forested watersheds,
research shows that 40 percent of the world’s 230 major watersheds have lost more than
half of their original tree cover. Despite this, the area of forests managed for soil
and water conservation has increased globally over the past 25 years, and in 2015 a
quarter of forests were managed with soil and/or water conservation as an objective.

Our forests are our water fountains.
They provide much of the drinking water
for over 1/3 of the world's largest cities.

Trends in management of forests for soil and water conservation, by forest type

Forest for Soil and Water
Conservation (ha) by Forest Type

Around one-third of the world’s population, or about 2.4 billion people, make use of wood to provide
basic energy services such as cooking, boiling water and heating.

Modernizing the traditional wood energy sector has the power to improve livelihoods,
create sustainable value chains and unlock resources for investments in sustainable forest
management.

The potential of forests is perhaps no better illustrated than in the fact that wood grows
back.
Around one-third of the world’s population, or about 2.4 billion people, make use of wood to
provide basic energy services such as cooking, boiling water and heating. Overall, forests
supply
about 40 percent of global renewable energy in the form of woodfuel – as much as solar,
hydroelectric
and wind power combined. Emphasis must now be on producing woodfuel more sustainably to
reduce forest
degradation, as well as more cleanly and efficiently to improve the health of millions of
people,
particularly women and children.

From tackling poverty and hunger to mitigating climate change and conserving
biodiversity, the positive impacts of forests and trees are fundamental to our existence.

The world’s response to climate change – in terms of adaptation,
mitigation and resilience – must focus more on forests.

As underscored at the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, forests and trees play a
crucial role in determining the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Acting as carbon sinks, they absorb the equivalent of roughly 2 billion tonnes of carbon
dioxide each year. However, deforestation is the second-leading cause of climate change
after
burning fossil fuels and accounts for nearly 20 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions —
more than the world’s entire transport sector. Effective forest management can strengthen
resilience and adaptive capacities to climate-related natural disasters, underscoring the
importance of integrating forest-based measures into national disaster risk reduction (DRR)
strategies.
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the roles of conservation,
sustainable
management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (known as REDD+) will be vital
for global
efforts to combat climate change. The 25 countries with the highest forest cover have all
included
forest-related mitigation measures (reduced deforestation and forest degradation,
afforestation,
enhancement of forest carbon stocks, forest conservation and agroforestry) in their
Nationally Appropriate
Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), instruments for
meeting the SDGs.

Qualitative evidence suggests that forests and trees also make significant
contributions to SDGs through the informal sector, agroforestry,
opportunities to empower women, sustainable water management, tourism, sustainable
cities, climate change adaptation and tackling land degradation and biodiversity loss.

Nature-based tourism, for example, is growing three times faster than the tourism
industry as a whole, and now accounts for approximately 20 percent of the global
market. The integration of green space and tree cover in urban planning is also on
the rise, with studies showing links to a reduction in levels of both obesity and crime,
though measuring and evaluating such benefits remains challenging. In view of growing
urbanization and climate change, the design, planning and management of urban green spaces,
including forests and trees, should be integrated into urban planning at an early stage.
The role of forests and trees should be reflected in climate mitigation and adaptation
policies.

Children are generally more active when they have access to green spaces.
The obesity rate of children living in areas with good access to
green spaces is 11-19% lower than in those who have limited or no access.

Addressing agriculture and forests together in developing national
development policies is critical to achieving the SDGs.

Sustainable agriculture needs healthy and productive forests. Forests and trees
support sustainable agriculture by, for example, stabilizing soils and climate,
regulating water flows, providing shade, shelter and a habitat for pollinators and
the natural predators of agricultural pests. When integrated into agricultural landscapes,
forests and trees can increase agricultural productivity. They also help provide food
security for hundreds of millions of people, for whom they are important sources of food,
energy and income during hard times.

The world’s primary objectives of ending poverty and achieving sustainability will be
greatly enhanced by strengthening legal frameworks that recognize and secure the rights of
local communities and smallholders to access forests and trees.

Globally, 1.5 billion local and indigenous people have secured rights over
forest resources through community-based tenure. There are significant benefits
in giving local people with traditional knowledge the ability to influence decision-making
in ways that contribute to SDG targets. With clear and secure rights, people are more likely
to take a longer-term approach to forest management, as they know that they or their
successors
will benefit from this. Where insecure tenure is a critical problem, frameworks such as the
Voluntary
Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests can help
to provide
certainty. Looking ahead, there is a need to learn from successful experiences in community
forest
management, recognizing the importance of scientific and technical support, training,
capacity-building
and access to markets, market information and adequate financial resources, as well as the
need for
clarity in setting out the rights and responsibilities of different parties. All these
measures will need
to be in place if forest pathways to sustainable development are to be strengthened.

Access to land, resources and investments in and around forests can propel women,
youth and other rural entrepreneurs to be agents of change in the transformation to a
sustainable world.

Strengthening tenure rights presents an opportunity to enhance gender equitable access
to forests and trees, as well as encouraging a long-term, sustainable approach to forest
management.
Studies highlight the entrepreneurial role that women play, especially in the informal
sector, and their
leadership role in community and participatory forest management. The enterprise and energy
of youth is
just as vital for the future of the sector. Investment in training, capacity-building and
the development of
producer organizations can help persuade young people to see the value of making a living by
the forest and resist
uncertain migration. Investing in the informal sector by increasing economic activity,
improving employment
conditions and fostering a more sustainable approach to forest management can have a
positive impact that
stretches from forest to farm to town to city. Providing economic incentives to smallholders
and communities
to manage trees on forest lands is likely to prove rewarding.

A positive enabling environment is fundamental for attracting the private sector to
pro-sustainability activities.

Both the formal and informal forest sectors include large numbers of small or micro
businesses, while
at the other end of the scale there are some very large companies. On a small scale,
priorities often
include training to improve land management practices, the promotion of agroforestry, the
development
of producer organizations, better access to markets and the availability of suitable
financing arrangements.
On a larger scale, there may be a need to address potential barriers to investment, often
financial or
infrastructure-related. Policy interventions are likely to include a mix of regulatory
approaches and
incentives to engage in activities that are not necessarily covered by the market, such as
ecosystem services
and sustainable forest management. At the same time, it will be important to address
potential barriers to
investment and remove incentives to clear forests. Partnerships with the private sector will
be crucial in
developing private governance initiatives, such as voluntary certification schemes and
commitments to
‘zero-deforestation’ supply chains.

Acting with forests in mind to achieve the SDGs

To accomplish the historic ambition of ending hunger and poverty and transforming to a
sustainable world,
the 2030 Agenda expects sectoral ministries to change the way they work and to coordinate
policies across government.

Actions on forests, agriculture, food, land use, rural and national development must
synchronize
in the future if sustainable development is to be realized. Although drivers vary
significantly between
countries and regions, policymakers must recognize the need to manage trade-offs and set out
concrete measures
for better aligning multiple objectives and incentive structures. This integrated approach
is critical
for progressing towards the SDG targets. Establishing SDG implementation platforms composed
of key sectors in
natural-resource use and management is one way of managing cross-sectoral coordination and
overcoming difficulties
in governments that have sector-based ministries and agencies, with their own resource
allocations and accountability
arrangements. SDG implementation platforms would bring together different ministries and
government agencies with other
key stakeholders working in dialogue and coordinated action, with a focus on achieving the
SDGs and benefitting
from interlinkages, identifying and addressing barriers to change and monitoring progress.